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W. L. McGRATH.

ENGINE STARTER.

APPLICATION HLED NOV. 13. I9I9.

1,396,518, Patented Nov. 921.

3 SHEETS-S E! I.

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w. L. McGRATH.

ENGINE STARTER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.13| "9. 1,396,518. Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Jag 4 2 W. L. McGRATH.

ENGINE STARTER.

APPLICATION men NOV. H1 1919.

1 ,3 96,5 1 8. Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- jiorrafior" x.

L/{mza 91m. 1/ dm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' wmLIAM-L. Muemm,on ELMIBA; NEW-YORK, ASSIGNOB ro ECLIPSE mom *co urm,-or ELMIRA, mwxonx; aconrom 'rron' or New YORK.

Be i" known that I, WILLIAM, L; Mc- G lm'riif a citizen of the :United States, re; sidingat Elmira, inthecounty of Chemung and .State ofNew York have inventedcertain new Improvements in En} gine-Stai ters, ,ofylwhieli the. follow ingi is ga specification. i 4 n M fl nven on per t e n Starters end re ate "m r p ieu e' ly- H t d iv or l transmission portion thereof interposed ifthe Mil e nsu s tric motor and a member of the en ine to be started, such as the fly wheel perepf. h ieet t my en, sterner-fie im e; .e ei w a reliable iis of LWP? characterized by the? imanual, goperatioli h r r m m e f; t r iire or 1* eas men or i th -51 3a Wh e nd re heiset eti l e se em eo rs d d iv m mes when th s i j esste l ts own PRW so" 21 --r i awi g re ra} t o e elevation of a starterglsystem ying m inventionpFig. 2;an end-elevation thereo F sk a ction 9 .th i e w; E38 1,; and Big. Ala sectionalplevation o t-, a;modi;- fied formoi construction n i 0 ,651

s ss e le ns d t d ri ies: vf; vefl l n P me h m tsio my inv q t t s m be; ing here shown as of the single reduction; type in; which the ,d rive is d rectdriven by t 1 a hou t, 1. 1 s)? b in i e t y driven, a mayo-n vef th t fic mie and may partake of other forms without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Assho rir the starting motorrl has an extended armature shaft 2 journaled at its outer endin a bearing 3 provided by the inclosing or bracket 3 which is so cured to or supported by the motor frame. This rotatable or drive 2 is provided intermediate its length with spiral splines 4.

The driving member is here in the'form of a pinion 5 and is provided ,with correspondmg. spirallsplines in itscentral bore tocbactyvithfthesplines of the shaft, with the result that the pinion is mounted there on. for longitudinalr movenient thereof and rotary movement therewithefter its" longitudinal inovenient has been arrested by contact with the stop nut 6, at which .time the pinion is in engagement or mesh with the fly wheel 7. The pinion is provided with an T Specification of Letters Patent. Application il led November 13, 1919, V Serial: v

; se ms Nov. 8, 1921. 33 725 inwardly extending sleeve or hub portion 8terminating infa head 9 which is provided on itsfforwarii side with the" irregular or cam sur face lfljadapted to coiiperatdwith the rolls of; the shifting fork hereinafter described? 4 21" Thein eans for shifting the I pinion" which are operated by jhand 1 or' foot a" desired, consists of afldepressible plunger and lever connections I shifter interposed between it the head. 'f The shifisl'f, consts;o ,..a, 1ej i mou ged to slide on a p sms g2...s eb1y;1' t ed t 2asmgi$if i $l ii$ remed- Wi 'the elk' t ed e fis i r'fq r i i it t i lowerlf feuds I1s"1 4.; aiiaptgfgitto cooperate .1-.: irreg l e sur e o r n,, ,1ead'.;iT .,1J p r Q WKW o'f this s1 e 1i,js, sh pto f0r1 n afrecess. lfiiiw'itl 'thigi ish u ff%n, lowfshoulderor sideyi'l u twrh v lzeemi wn i e h a; s sleeve 11 of a bellcrank 18 p votedat 19 at the "upper end of the" verticaI bracket arms 20 rising from the top of the casing 3, The lower or 'yertical a 'ImIOf the bellfc rankj enters within the'recess 15- and is provided atjdt's" lower outer co'rnerwvith alslnalljlfinger 21 pivoted thei'etoiaty22.

The bell cra nk, is held in its normal "sition illustratedrby a yielding pressurew ich is hereiifiordedlby means ofjthe, torsion spring 23 encirclin 'the' lpivot pin '19 and connected at its en s wit 1 an arm 20 and witht'he bell crank with the result that any movement of such bell crank inan anti clockwise direction is resisted by the spring. The up'per or horizontal armof the bell crank is operated by the vertical ,Plun er 24 passing through and guided by suitable supports such as the floor board 25 of an automobile, and by a horizontal plate 26 therebelow. This plunger is normally held in the positionshownby the-coiled spring 27, and such jplunger carries atits lower end a lateral; arm'28which is provided at its outer end with an adjustable screw 29 adapted to contact and operate the bell crank.

The plunger 24 is in vertical alinement with a movable element of a switch 30,here shown as attached to the motor frame and adapted to control the electrical circuit of the motor.

Describing a cycle of operation and beginning with the parts in their normal position shown in F ig. 1, depression of the plunger 24 by hand or foot will oscillate the bell crank to the first dotted line position, with the result that the finger 21 will engage the shoulder 17 and then move the sleeve longitudinally along its supporting shaft 12. The forloo'i arms 13 will thereupon shift the pinion to the right into engagement with the fly wheel. In this movement the pinion is rotated slightly by reason of the splines. The construction and arrangement may be such that full mesh of the pinion may be established by hand or only a partial mesh, after which the starting motor whenoperated will establish full mesh and subsequent rotation of the pinion and the fly wheel. When the plunger l 1as s i1bstantially reached its lower limit of depression it will contact position,

, finger and operate the switchSO, whereuponthe motor will be operated and the drive shaft 2 rotated, with the result thatthe pinion 5 if not in' full mesh is automatically brought into full mesh and the fly "wheel rotated.

\Vhen the engine has started on its own power the pinion will be automatically demeshed in the well-known manner. In this operation the torsion spring 23 will return the bell crank and the sleeve 11 to normal the pivoted finger2l j riding over the outercorner of such sleeve and then taking its position with the lower end of the bell crank arm within the recess 15. This is provided to enable the reengagement of the bell crank with such recess after the pinion has been demeshed through the starting of the engine before the manual release, of the bell crank. The first set of dotted lines represents the position of the sleeve 11 atthe time of partial mesh, and the second or outermost set to the right representing the position of such sleeve when in full mesh. I

In the event that the meshing operation is i not perfect, as when the teeth of the pinion and fly wheel abut end to end, the movement of the plunger will therebybe stopped before contacting the starting switch 30. On releasing the plunger the torsion spring on the bell, crank will withdraw the pinion through the shifting fork, the rolls of the latter contacting the irregular surface 10. Should this contact occur at the bottom of i such cam surface as indicated in the drawing, it will prex'entthe turning of the pinion during retraction and will cause a slight turning of the shaft. Should the contact occur at a point other than the bottom of the irregular surface, it will cause the turning of the pinion and of course the shaft therewith. In either case, the next attempt at starting will then cause a different registration of the teeth and meshing will be accomplished.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated a modified form of construction which differs from the one already-described in the provision of a yielding driving connection between the driving shaft and the pinion. According to this construction the drive shaft 31 of the motor is a short hollow stub shaft adapted to receive the inner end of the rotatable shaft 32 of the drive. These two shafts are operative'ly connected-by 'a' yielding driving connection which is here a coiled driving spring 33 connected at its opposite ends to the two shafts 31 and 32'by means ofthe studs34 and 35, respectively. 'The'pinion 5 is the same in construction and operation as that already described,'and is mountediu pon the drive shaft 32 in thc same manner as the other p inion was mounted upon 'the' drive shaft 2. l

The shifter meansare' manuall or pedally operable whichforconvenien'ce' haveherein designated its-manual spaniel-n ts distinguished from power for from automatic 0pmumm- :thii in;

1. An engine starter driveirichiding a retatable shaft, a 5 driving -member mounted thereon for; rotary iifovement' therewith and for longitudinal mover'nentthereof'to engage a part bf the engine tobe started; and means adapted to-- such "longitudinal movement of the driving memberand to retract the same and also tekeaas 'a slight rotary movement th'e'reof' on its retracting movement away froms'uch engine part.

2. An engine starter 'drive including a rotatable shaft, a driving f member mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and for longitudinal movem'ent thereof to engage a part ofthe engine to be started-{and means adapted to cause such -longitudinal movement of the driving member-f end to' re-f tract the samefsjaid means and drivin" memher having elements cooperatingwit each other I on the retracting" movement of such member away froni'such engine part to cause a slight rotary novement'theteof.

An engine starter drive including a rotatable shaftja driving member mounted thereon'for rotary movement therewith and for' longitudinal movefnt thereof-teen gage a part of the enginetobe started, and having a cam face thereon,- and manually operated means adapted to cause suchlong'itudin'al movement of'thedriviiig member and to retract the same'such means cooperating with such cam"fa"ce on the retracting movement thereof away from such'engine part to cause a slight"rotary imovement thereof.

4. An engine starter 'dri ve including a ro= tatable shaft, a "driving member mounted thereon. for rotary mojement therewith and for longitudinal movement thereof to en age a part of the engineto bestarted, and aving a cam face thereon, and'means adapted to cause such longitudinal movement of the driving member, and including a shifter having rolls adapted to cooperate with such cam face on the retracting movement of the driving member whereby the latter is caused to rotate slightly.

5. An engine starter drive including a rotatable shaft, a driving member mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and fon longitudinal movement thereof to engage a part of the engine to be started,-and having at one end a sleeve extensiontermimating in a head provided on its inner side with a cam face. and a shifter adapted when moved in one direction to shift the driving member longitudinally and to engage the cam face on its return movment to cause a slight rotary movement of the driving member.

6. An engine starter drive including a rotatable shaft, a driving member mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and for longitudinal movement thereof to engage a part of the engine to be started, said shaft and member having corresponding spiral splines, and means acting on the driving member and adapted to cause such longitudinal movement thereof, and to cause a slight rotary movement thereof on its retracting movement away from such engine art.

p 7. An engine starter drive including a rotatable shaft, a driving member mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and for longitudinal movement thereof to engage a part of the engine to be started, said shaft and member having corresponding spiral splines, and means acting on the driving member and adapted to cause such longitudinal movement thereof, and to cause a slight rotary movement thereof on its retracting movement away from such engine part, said means being manually operated.

8, An engine starter drive including a rotatable shaft, a driving member mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and for longitudinal movement thereof to engage a part of the engine to be started, and means for shifting the driving member comprising a supporting shaft arranged parallel to the rotatable shaft, a shifter mounted to slide on the supporting shaft and having arms operatively connected with the driving member, and a lever o eratively connected with the shifter for s ifting it a predetermined distance but adapted to detach itself therefrom for the remainder of the distance, and to reengage therewith when returned to normal position.

9. An engine starter drive including a rotatable shaft. a driving member mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and for longitudinal movement thereof to engage a part of the engine to be started. and means for shifting the driving member comprising a supporting shaft arranged parallel to the rotatable shaft, a shifter mounted to slide on the supporting shaft and having arms operatively connected with the driving member, and a lever operatively connected with the shifter for shifting it a predetermined distance but adapted to detach itself therefrom for the remainder of the distance, and to reengage therewithwhen returned to normal position, saidshifter being pressed to normal position with a yielding pressure and acting on the driving member to restore it to normal position. I

10. An engine starter drive including a rotatable shaft, a driving member mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and for longitudinal movement thereof to engage a part of the engine to be started, and means for shifting the driving member comprisin a supporting shaft, arranged parallel to the rotatable shaft, a shifter mounted to slide on the supporting shaft and ---having arms operatively connected with the driving memher, and a lever operatively connected with the shifter for shifting it a predetermined distance but adapted to detach itself therefrom for the remainder of the distance, and to rengage therewith when returned to normal position, and a spring acting on the lever to hold the same and the shifter and also the driving member in a normal position.

11, An engine starter drive including a rotatable shaft, a driving member mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and for longitudinal movement thereof to engage a part of the engine to be started, and means for shifting the driving member comprising a supporting shaft arranged parallel to the rotatable shaft, a shifter mounted to slide on 1 the supporting shaft and having arms operatively connected with the driving member, said shifter having a recess, a lever having one end normally positioned in such recess and bearing against the shifter to hold it in normal position and having a pivoted finger on such end and adapted to cooperate with the recess to move the shifter a predetermined distance and then clear the recess and subsequently return thereuntc and a single means for restoring the parts to normal position. Y

12. An engine starter drive including a rotatable shaft, a driving member mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and for longitudinal movement thereof to engage a part of the engine to be started, and means for shifting the driving member comprising a supporting shaft arranged parallel to the rotatable shaft, a shifter mounted to slide on the supporting shaft and having arms operatively connected with the driving member and normally bearing thereagainst with a yielding pressure, a bell crank having one arm operatively connected with the shifter, and a manually operated plunger for actuating the bell crank.

" 13. An engine starter drive including a rotatable shaft, ax-driving member mounted thereon for longitudinal movement thereof to engage 'a part of the engine to be started and rotary movement therewith, and means adaptedtocause such longitudinal movement of the'dri'vin'g member and to retract the"same;aiid-also to cause a 'slight rdtary movement" thereof "on its' retract ng movementawayfromthe engine part, a driving shaft, and a yielding drlvingconnection betweenthetwo shafts 5 i-i' ,'i 1:

14. An engine starter drive including a rotatable shaft, a driving member mounted thereon for longitudinal movement thereof to engage a part of the engine to be started and rotary movement therewith, and means adapted to cause such longitudinal movement of thedriving member and to retract the same and also to cause a slight rotary movement thereof on its retracting movementaway from the engine part, a driving shaft and a spring 'drive between the two shafts.

WILLIAM L 'MVCGRATH. 

